For years I have been in conversations that ended up in me offering to tell my "Kurt Vonnegut Story." But the subject was always interrupted, and I still have not told my story. Until today! Don't get too excited. I don't save his life or anything like that. But I did play a small part in one day of his life. Read on, and I will get to that at the conclusion of this blog.
When author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. appeared at Connecticut College in New London on October 5, 1980, it was not to promote any of his books, but rather to support his wife, photographer Jill Krementz, whose photo exhibit was opening at the College library. But as so often happened wherever Vonnegut went, he could not go unnoticed, being one of the most popular writers of his day. Reporters mobbed him in front of the card catalog, and he was soon forced outside into the beautiful autumn New England day. On a lawn near the library, a short podium was hastily put in place, and (as was his style) he spoke off the cuff for about 30 minutes to an audience of enthralled college students (possibly his most vocal fan base). His most recent bestseller at that time was Jailbird (1979), and the most recent one to take the country by storm was 1973's Breakfast of Champions. But then, and throughout his long career, the book everybody wanted to hear him talk about was his 1969 classic Slaughterhouse Five. This work had made him into an international star, and it was even made into a popular motion picture.
Kurt Vonnegut was born November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, a town that was seen as a symbol of American values, and which was used as a setting in many of his novels. His boyhood was short-curcuited (at age 20) by a stint in the army during World War Two. Almost immediately he was captured during the Battle of the Bulge. While he was home on leave after escaping, his mother committed suicide on Mother's Day 1944. He survived the Allied bombing of Dresden to become a prisoner of war, which provided inspiration for Slaughter House Five. In 1958 his sister Alice died of cancer within hours of her husband's death in a train crash. Vonnegut and his first wife assumed custody of his sister's three children. A biography on his website offers insight into what made him tick:
His vision of the fantastic in daily life influenced by extraordinary events made him learn to cope with a world of tragi-comic disparities, a universe that defies causality and whose absurdity lends the fantastic equal plausibility with the mundane.Vonnegut also invented an alter ego: Kilgore Trout (the name thought to be a play on that of another science fiction writer, Theodore Sturgeon). Trout was always getting into trouble by mouthing off on the things that Mr. Vonnegut only wished he could do himself. Trout was first prominently displayed in the story collection Welcome To the Monkey House in 1968.
Vonnegut's first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1952, followed by Sirens of Titan in 1959. These were strictly works of science fiction, which would continue to play a part in his work throughout his career.
Vonnegut often listed among his many influences: Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, Aristophanes, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Robert Lewis Stevenson, George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, Jonathan Swift, H. L. Mencken.
Among his many works:
His second wife, Jill Krementz, took all of the photos of Vonnegut that graced the back of his dust jackets. Among the best were:
Besides novels, he also published Fates Worse Than Death (1992), a collection of essays and speeches, and Palm Sunday (1999), an autobiographical collage of writings. Bagombo Snuff Box (2000) consisted of uncollected short fiction, Kurt Vonnegut On Mark Twain, Lincoln, Imperialist Wars, and Weather (2004), Wampeters, Fora & Granfalloons (2004), rare and unexamined writings, The collections continued posthumously: Fubar: Look At the Birdie, a collection of unpublished fiction from 2009. If This Isn't Nice, What Is?, a collection of his commencement addresses, with Dan Wakefield (2014), While Mortals Sleep (2012) unpublished short fiction with Dave Eggers, and most significantly Armegeddon In Retrospective (2008), unpublished pieces compiled by his son, Mark. A novel, God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkien was completed by Neil Gaiman in 2010. Also worth checking out: The Last Interview and Other Coversations, with Tom McCartan (2011).
Also in the field of Vonnegut collectibles are two short stories turned into books by greedy publishers determined to milk Mr. V for all he was worth. The Big Trip Up Yonder (2009) is an expanded version of a short story that first appeared in 1954 in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, and 2BR0213 (2009), an expansion of a 1962 story from Worlds of If.
when the last living thing
has died on account of us
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon
"It is done."
People did not like it here.
In a Time magazine appreciation, Lev Grossman wrote:
Even at his most despairing he had an endless willingness to entertain his readers: with drawings, jokes, sex, bizarre plot twists, science fiction, whatever it took.
We're sure Vonnegut himself would have added "So it goes!"
Vonnegut also wrote a play, 1971's Happy Birthday, Wanda June. It was wild with satire and absurdity. It starred Kevin McCarthy as Harold Ryan and Marsha Mason as Penelope Ryan, and ran for about a year and a half. Photos by Jill Krementz, unless otherwise credited.
(photo by Bert Andrews)
Also worth mentioning is his screenplay for television, Between Time and Timbuktu (1972). Vonnegut did not claim authorship of the original draft, but it was all based on his writings and he added a great deal to the finished product. As with Wanda June, he got to work with people who greatly impressed him. The radio comedians Bob and Ray were in the cast, much to his delight.
Bob and Ray as Gesundheit and Williams
Between Time and Timbuktu brought back Wanda June as a minor character who appears near the end of the production.
In his final years, he took more satisfaction from his art work than his literary creations. His art was appreciated, but like Picasso he was thought of as too far out.
Now let's return to Mr. Vonnegut's visit to Connecticut College, as it is there that yours truly becomes a part of the Kurt Vonnegut legacy! In those days I was driving a milk vending route for Maple Hill Farms of Bloomfield, Connecticut, and my stops included Connecticut College.
Ben and truck
And so it goes...
Kurt Vonnegut's legacy is carried on and celebrated by the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library.
In this shot, one of his typewriters is on display. The library's website is www.vonnegutlibrary.org. It may be visited at 340 N. Senate Avenue, Indianapolos, IN 46204, and emailed at info@vonnegutlibrary.org.
Sincere thanks to Chris Lafave at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, and Rebecca Palmer at Connecticut College, for helping me make this much more authoritative and fun. You ladies are the best!
The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library
http://vonnegut.com/
We'll end this with a moving video, featuring a great Billy Joel song. And so it goes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atABhlMLYvU&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLBA98097412D7253D
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